Summary of 6. Mária Bakti: Speech disfluencies – what do they reveal about attention and cognitive load?

Scientific Concepts and Discoveries

Interpreting: Defined as the process of conveying a message from a source language to a target language in real-time, without the opportunity for revision or editing.
Attention and Cognitive Load: The presentation discusses how interpreting, especially simultaneous interpreting, requires significant attention sharing and cognitive resources.
Working Memory: Emphasizes the role of Working Memory in interpreting, particularly the central executive component responsible for managing attention.
Models of Interpreting:
- Effort Model: Suggests that interpreting demands mental energy and attention resources that can lead to cognitive saturation.
- Cognitive Load Model: Focuses on the portion of cognitive capacity dedicated to interpreting tasks in different environments.
Disfluencies in Speech: Analyzed to measure cognitive load and attention during different interpreting tasks, revealing that more complex tasks result in more disruptions in speech.

Types of Interpreting: Based on various criteria including:
- Language modality (spoken vs. signed)
- Working mode (consecutive vs. simultaneous)
- Directionality (interpreting from a native language to a foreign language and vice versa)
- Use of technology
- Setting (international vs. social)
- Discourse type
- Participants involved
Empirical Study: Participants performed four speech tasks to measure disfluencies:
- Spontaneous speech
- Extemporaneous speech
- Consecutive interpreting
- Site translation
Analysis of Disfluencies: Evaluated the frequency and duration of pauses, hesitations, and other disruptions to assess the cognitive demands of each task.

— 44:14 — « Interpreting is a feat in dividing attention in sharing attention, especially simultaneous interpreting. »

— 46:59 — « It's not necessarily memory that is so excellent in the case of interpreters but rather how they control their attention. »

— 55:51 — « There will always be a need for human interpreters... machines cannot interpret your intonation. »

— 58:52 — « Human interpreting is here to stay. »